Railway crossing



June 21, 1949. CQNDON 2,473,941

RAILWAY CROSSING Filed Jan. 30, 1946 Z 720 W @ATTOR EY Patented June 21,1949 RAILWAY CROSSING" 1 Fred: :L. :.C,ondon,- ,Canisteo,-: ;N. Y.,-assignor; to;

Canisteo Industries, Inc.,"Caniste0; N. Y .;:'a con poration of New YorkApplication JanuaryBO, 1946; Serial-No? 644321 T- 4 Glaims. 1

This: nYantion:.- zrelaiescio .railway r am. grade cro sin s an m remaniipularlm t uni s r-surfacin aza .roadaadiasani.andvbetween the,railway il iio aobieci. of iheinvonrtionbeing to provide nzrimpmvodvinstallingro chsu fa in un t for um; c ossin s .Q amoremraoticaland..-efi"1;0ient chalaotsm Another: obiegmisrthevprovisiomof 4a crossin unit -ad pifiedcto beniabrioated of standardmare.-- alsiira antandzread ly assem n p a at. he; ross sg Anoth r sims. is $0 pprcrvidasuch a crossin uni; adapi1edrv :to :be a;conveniently installed and remgizsd ;fpr; repairs, without disturbingthe: arnssment 9f i ecrosstiesor rails of the railway, orintgarieringwieh the electricalcircuits in which srails maylie-connectedn- Ano her-obi o i s i errq ision 0f a ero ni of fi o-abovehar cteradaptedrto bemainly supported-on ithe existing,, gross ties ofthe; rail.-: ifi out disturbing the grading or drainage rangem nts f therailway hem Stilla further object:- is ;theY.-provision-l.of 2a Q Si Ig;.unith ving in rsombination withl the above advantages; an, open ,orreticula1;ed :surfaoe element :for the; reader highway -wh-ich .isself.- draining and afiords rofli ient nimation. for 1 roadvehicles;v

To -;th se-- andmther :end the inVenti0n-. -resides in certain 1,improvements 1 and combinations vFor parts, all as '1Wi11,,b,ehereinafter;more-;f11lly de-. scribed, the moral features .bemgzpointed. outrin theclaims. at thaaend 0f the specification.

Fig, l is a transverse-sectional elevation of a double. track aiIWaY'and. road-lcrossingi showing the. in nt on applied thereto;

Fig, 2 is a top p1an:-vi w.of p rt wn: Fig. with =detailsrof me. surfacng; or decking portion romitt dnfor c ari y; xc p in 1 circled areasj Fg- 3 n zenlargevd top plan .View of thel'frame po t on. o one :Qf the.units. before app c i n thereto of hasurfaoinaor si ckin pp F s .4; an.enla od, sveoiionaltelevation of partf ih frame o tionron the:1ine.=4i.4in Fig. 3, a d sh wi ;the.= samo.;provi.ded w th. a. d kinportionsandnapplied zto a paromr th v railwa track.

a-,5 s an L-enlargedf-seotional plan viewvor the sill-an str nseoonnection shownin Fig; 3, and,

ig:- s an mmargadr framentarsr. plamriew of he s rsfaoins or (look ngmriiom; r.

Th lmvon ion :is disaloaed in iheapresnns inv stance, by-r way ofillustratlong as-appliodilo a highway.:grade crossing overa; doubletrackrailwaysandz illustrating the adaptaiion of th inven tio'n bothbetweenihe rails andat thiapproachs theretoz'i vOne: of the'rai'lwaytraeks is indicated generally at wi l] andri-fih 'nther-sat =zll the tracks being'bh'samo'so th'ab a de'sbripbiomof One'Wil-l apply toboth. Track mi iorrexamplep comprises a ballasted-=and graded Ioad bed-I 2 on whi'ch' are laiclvthe usual"woodenecross-ties 1 3 l5 Rails-M andl 5 are spiked in :tha usualmr an y suitaible manner to ithe (crossEST-With interposed=tie= plates 15*, as well:understo'od'ix'i the arts-Tli-road or higlia way: is indicated at l6) including at th approach tot'he t1'aCkS,=-On either sid'efla concrete abutment Wall: l 1 preferablyformedwith a lower step-l 8, for .a purp0se= hereai'tr descr-ibdvThrailway I'Oadi-bBdSFaIB fOIMBd vwith a drainage' chahnel I 9 between:the tra'cks and wi-th a similar channel 2!] :adj acentieach approachabutment l as usual in such constructionsz Thevunits embodying thpresent inventionare laidsbetween- 'the roa'd abutments 'and the 'outer'track srails and: between-"the tracks-"and" between proved surfacing 1from one approach abutmentof the. road 'con-tinuously across thtraicksan ji to themher abutment, as showm- Each unit has a= self-cbntaind, integral "charaster of construction comprising preferably; apain of structural steel---bars at dppg'sitesides "of the iunit' and.adaptedth for-m; its 'main" supports. At:least-one: of sai'd sid bars 2|is of standard Z-ban shape, in cross sectionywhil theopposite side barmay *also' be a boar =22,*6r a standard channelbar 23,dependinupon-'whethr the 'unit is to -be positioned befiwen'thrails orbetwen the'i'tracks and a road aJautment,"as morefully explainedhereafter Eah imiboomprises also a pair of sill'bars, M 'ahd i'i fstandard chahn'el' shape,= connecting the 'oppositaends of the side'barsv (Figs. v3 and- 4) The Z-kiars are preferably arranged with'fiheir: upper -flar'igesfl I 'xtiending outwardly from the unit; andthe sill bars prefer ablyhaveihir lower flafiges 26 out'away'to clearthe inwardly extending-lower flange-of the!- bars,:ras shown in F igitAnglebrackets 2 are riveted to the' websfl war trial-bars and'sill'bafs"to rigidlyiconnectsthmtog etherg'so that the sill bars are supportedrwholly by the' Z-bai's; 'I'h' sill bars. are preferably bf thesameheighbas' the Limits, with thefiaxi ge's at t0p -iand bottom I *ofboth :elements lying flush; with =one another,- as shown in Fig. 4. i

Th rectangular:frama'rthlisforfned comprises also one or more stringerbars 28, preferably of standard channel shape in cross section and ofthe same height as the sill bars and Z-bars. Each stringer bar ispreferably arranged equidistant from and parallel with the side bars andhas its ends connected with the sill bars 24 and 25. For this purpose,the flanges of the stringer bars are preferably cut away, as at 29 (Fig.leaving the web portion of the bar extending adjacent the web portion 3|of the sill bar for connection therewith. Angle brackets 32 are rivetedto these webs to rigidly connect the same, with the stringer bars thussupported at their ends on the sill bars and with the top and bottomsurfaces of the stringer bar flanges lying substantially in the sameplane as the corresponding flange surfaces of the Z-bars, so that all ofthe elements of the unit frame lie level or flush with one another onboth its top and bottom sides.

Each unit is surfaced by a section of open or reticulated decking bestshown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, which may be any one of severalcommercially available forms of such decking comprising, in the presentinstance, a series of continuous, spaced, parallel, steel carrying bars33, of sufficient height and strength to support a substantial load orweight, these bars being preferably interconnected, as shown, by meansof angular connecting or bracing bars 34. Such decking sections are madeto correspond in size and shape with the framework units describedabove. and are placed upon the units with the weight-bearing bars 33extending transversely of and resting upon the side bars, 2|, 22, andthe stringer bar or bars 28 of the unit. The decking is secured in suchposition by any suitable means, being preferably welded at a number ofpoints of contact so as to form a substantially integral and unitarypart of the unit. For clearer illustration, only the bars 33 are shownin Fig. 2, except at the circled areas 35, where the connecting bars 34are also shown, and it will be understood that the whole area of eachunit is preferably surfaced by such decking.

The construction of the unit varies somewhat for the different areas tobe covered. The construction described above, comprising Z-bars onopposite sides and a single stringer bar '28, is that preferred for usebetween the rails of each track. For surfacing the areas between therails of adjacent tracks, a larger unit 36 is employed.

comprising Z-bars on both sides of the unit and a, plurality of stringerchannels 28. In this case, the side bars rest upon the cross ties ofadjacent tracks, respectively, and the unit bridges the drainage channell9 between the tracks. approaches to the crossing, the unit ispreferably constructed, as indicated at 31, having a Z-bar on one sideresting upon the cross ties of the track and the standard channel ironbar 23 at the other side of the unit resting upon the road abutment I!at its depressed shoulder or step 18, thus bridging the drainage channelof the road bed. The bottom flange of each side bar may be formed withdrilled holes 38 through which spikes are driven into the cross ties orabutments, to anchor each unit in place.

Any number of units may be placed end to end longitudinally of thetracks to continuously and completely surface the crossing of a road ofany width and where the road crosses the tracks in an inclined oroblique direction, the units may be readily made with correspondinglyinclined ends to maintain parallelrelation with the tracks of the road.

The invention provides astructural unit'for For the building crossingshaving a unitary, self-contained construction and capable of beingmanufactured economically from standard materials in a factory, readyfor installation at a crossing. The unit is readily installed withoutrequiring any special and expensive construction of the crossing, and,in fact, without any rearrangement or disturbance of the railway crossties or rails. Furthermore, a crossing so constructed requires nodisturbance of the usual grading of the roadbed for drainage, such asthe provision of the drainage channels or ditches l9 and 20. While theunits may be laid so as to position their surfaces in close proximity tothe rails, there is no actual contact and no interference withelectrical signal circuits in which the rails may be included. Thus theupstanding web portion 21 of each Z-bar is located with its bottomadjacent to but spaced from the tie plate I5 of the rail and its flangeand the top flange 2| of the Z-bar projects above the rail flange andtie-plates close to but in spaced relation with the head of the rail, tomaintain a substantially continuous road surface. This spacing may bequite close at the v outer sides of the rails of each track, but isslight-' ly increased, as shown in Fig. 4, at the inner sides of therails to accommodate the wheel flanges of railway vehicles and preserveelectrical insulating spacing. The bottom flanges of the Z-bars areturned away from the flanges and tie-plates of the rails and providesupporting surfaces of substantial area resting on the cross ties towhich they are secured. The Z-bar forms in this arrangement have thefurther advantage that they leave the bottom flange of each Z-barexposed for access from above for the application of the means forfastening it to the cross ties through the flange openings 38, whereasI-beam or channel forms for these bars would necessitate the insertionof the fastening means at an inclination to the vertical direction inorder to clear i for that purpose can be inserted through theopenings inthe decking without necessarily removing the decking from the frame.

The supporting frame of the present invention is strongly constructed tobridge the gap, for example, between adjacent tracks as shown at thecenter of Fig. l of the drawings. This has been accomplished,notwithstanding the limited height of the tops of the rails above theties, by disposing the sill and stringer bars within the vertical limitsof the side bars, so that all of these bars may be given a height equalto that of the rails themselves, except for the limited height of thedecking. This has made it possible to give to the sill bars which bridgethe wide gap between the rails and between the tracks, as well as to thestringer bars, an ample height in sectional form and an ampleweight-bearing capacity, thus making compact and maximum use of thelimited vertical space available. By means of such construction, theside, sill and stringer bars may be given the form of structural steelbars of standard cross-sectional shapes which are commercially availableat minimum cost and they are rigidly connected together by means such asbolts, so that they may be assembled at the factory and then applied tothe cross ties as a unit separate from the decking, the open characterof the frame facilitating ready access to the spikes or other means forfastening it to the cross ties. The surfacing of the frame withseparatelydormedde ki g: Perm ts th us o s table commercia ly availablede king w h, as thercase o the l-. -rame-,-ba s. is. man acr ed n arge.uant ti nda l bl c cially-at minimum -cost.;- This open type decking hasits component parts integrallyandstrongly constructed; comprising aseries of parallel, weight-supporting bars resting on the top surfacesof and bridging the side and stringer bars so as to increase the weightbeai'ing. capacity of the unit as a whole. The removable character ofthe decking allows the frame to be exposed for attachment to the crossties and for adjustment irom time to time, as well as any neces sanycleaning or levelling of the road bed, which may be effected through-theopen frame Withoutiremoving the frame. The construction thusaccomplishes the combination of maximum supporting strength,accessibility for installation and upkeep and economy of labor andmaterials.

As portions of the highway or road, the units provide strong and rigid,weight-bearing surfaces lying substantially flush with the treads of therails, so as to maintain a smooth crossing, While the open orreticulated character of the surface provides for drainage into thedrainage system of the railway bed and affords highly efiicient tractionsurfaces for vehicular traffic on the road or highway.

It will thus be seen that the invention accomplishes its objects andWhile it has been herein disclosed by reference to the details of apreferred embodiment, it is to be understood that such disclosure isintended in an illustrative, rather than a limiting sense, as it iscontemplated that various modifications in the construction andarrangement of the parts will readily occur to those skilled in the art,within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

I. In a railway road crossing, a self-contained, metallic road unitcomprising supporting frame and surfacing portions, said frame portionhaving Z-bars at opposite sides thereof adapted to be supported on andsecured to the railway cross ties intermediate and parallel Withadjacent rails, said Z-bars having their top flanges projecting abovethe flanges and tie plates of said rails and adjacent to the headsthereof to maintain substantial continuity of road surface and havingtheir bottom flanges extending away from said rail flanges and tieplates and affording substantial weight-bearing areas, and said Z-barshaving their upstanding web portions and top flanges located in spacedrelation with the flanges and tie plates and heads of said rails,respectively, to maintain an electrical insulat n Spacing therefrom,sill. bars substantially coextensive in height with said Z-bars andconnected to and supported by the opposite ends of said Z-bars,respectively, to bridge the space therebetween, a stringer bar supportedbetween said sill bars intermediate said Z-bars, all of said bars havingtheir tops lying substantially in a common top plane of said unit, andsaid surfacing portion comprising a section of open decking constructionsupported on and secured to the tops of said bars, said unit beingsubstantially equal in height to said rails and adapted to be installedand removed independently of disturbance of said rails and cross ties.

2. In a railway road crossing, a self-contained, metallic road unitcomprising supporting frame and surfacing portions, said frame portionhavn erent eppe i e ieeeth rea ada ede: he uppcrte in a d s cur dtothe-ra wa cros ie in e mediat a d Pa a el wit d ac n ra ls. s id z bars.ha in rt p fl n P jecti bat thef anae ,ap tie plates o s d i send.adjacent to the ;hea ds thereof to maintain subtanti lc ti itr r dr cand h n th ir-bot om ses e tend ng'e ym sa d. raihfleneesand tie p a sand a rdin s bs nw ialwe ht-bear n are s, and, sa d Z-b hinatheirupstandins We p io sa d top an e lo ated spac d-re ation withthe flan e and. and eadsqo a d. rails, es ec i el is? meant M an e ectrcal, nsu a in sp cin th re from sill-bars havin h r nds c nne t ansupportedrb theopno te en s of a d Z-ba a resp ctively, to rideethe sp ere twee a s rinaera arlo ated t me ate a .d-..z.-bars and a i ezcitsendsho n ctcd to and s p d by said sill bars, all of said bars beingsubstantially coextensive in height and having their tops and bottomslying substantially in common top and bottom planes of said unit, andsaid surfacing portion comprising a section of open decking constructionsupported on and secured to the tops of said bars, said unit beingsubstantially equal in height to said rails and adapted to be installedand removed independently of disturbance of said rails and cross ties.

3. In a railway road crossing, a self-contained, metallic road unitcomprising separately formed supporting frame and surfacing portions,said frame portion having Z-bars at opposite sides thereof intermediateand parallel with adjacent rails, said Z-bars having their top flangesprojecting above the flanges and tie plates of said rails and adjacentto the heads thereof to maintain substantial continuity of road surfaceand having their bottom flanges extending away from said rail flangesand tie plates and affording substantial weight-bearing areas, and said2- bars having their upstanding web portions and top flanges located inspaced relation with the flanges and tie plates and heads of said rails,respectively, to maintain an electrical insulating spacing therefrom,sill bars substantially coextensive in height with said Z-bars andconnected to and supported by the opposite ends of said Z-bars,respectively, to bridge the space therebetween, a stringer bar supportedbetween said sill bars intermediate said Z-bars, all of said bars havingtheir tops lying substantially in a common top plane of said unit, andsaid surfacing portion comprising a section of open decking constructionsupported on and fixed to the tops of said bars and includingsubstantially continuous carrying bars extending in parallel spacedrelation with one another across said Z- bars and stringer bar toincrease the Weightcarrying capacity of said unit, said unit beingsubstantially equal in height to said rails and adapted to be installedand removed independently of disturbance of said rails and cross ties.

4. In a railway road crossing, a self-contained, metallic road unitcomprising separately formed supporting frame and surfacing portions,said frame portion having Z-bars at opposite sides thereof adapted to besupported on and secured to the railway cross ties intermediate andparallel with adjacent rails, said Z-bars having their top flangesprojecting above the flanges and tie plates of said rails and adjacentto the heads thereof to maintain substantial continuity of road surfaceand having their bottom flanges eX- tending away from said rail flangesand tie plates and anording substantial weight-bearing areas, and saidZ-bars having their upstanding web portions and top flanges located inspaced relation with the flanges and tie plates and heads of said rails,respectively, to maintain an electrical insulating spacing therefrom,sill bars having their ends connected to and supported by the oppositeends of said Z-bars, respectively, to bridge the space therebetween, astringer bar located intermediate said Z-bars and having its endsconnected to and supported on said sill bars, all of said bars beingsubstantially coextensive in height and having their tops and bottomslying substantially in common top and bottom planes of said unit, andsaid surfacing portion comprising a section of open decking constructionsupported on and secured to the tops of said bars and includingsubstantially continuous carrying bars extending in parallel spacedrelation with 8 one another and across said Z-bars and stringer bar toincrease the weight-carrying capacity of said unit, said unit beingsubstantially equal in height to said rails and adapted to be installedand removed independently of disturbance of said rails and cross tiesFRED L. CONDON.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenices are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,428,230 Hess Sept. 5, 19221,653,252 Campbell Dec. 20, 1927 1,845,693 Wojciechowski Feb. 16, 19322,190,215 Nagin Feb. 13, 1940

